New Zealand
Contributors to this thread:Hogs
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Our first hunter here in New Zealand is my son Christian. Awesome trip so far. Here is a photo dump.
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Free range stag!!! Crazy big.
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Vortex are awesome
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
From: tacklebox
19-Mar-23
Wow, that looks amazing
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Im going to hunt one of these guys when i get a chance
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Its been a big 4 days.
From: orionsbrother
19-Mar-23
I’m jealous. Please keep the pics coming. Have a great trip.
From: BULELK1
19-Mar-23
Beautiful County!
Nice harvests------->
Good luck, Robb
From: Altitude Sickness
19-Mar-23
Heck of a free range bull.
From: Bowboy
19-Mar-23
Nice pictures thanks for posting
From: Mad Trapper
19-Mar-23
Congrats!!
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
19-Mar-23
Keep ‘em comin forest! That’s a hell of a stag your boy shot!
From: Ken
19-Mar-23
Congratulations to you and your son!
From: Medicinemann
19-Mar-23
Hey Forest, Christian needs a Chamois!!
From: BillyD
19-Mar-23
Awesome pics Forest & congrats to Christian. Beautiful trophies. Have fun and travel safely.
From: midwest
19-Mar-23
Looks like paradise!
From: bghunter
19-Mar-23
That is a big stag for free range thats for sure.
Looks like pretty easy country for the Tahr, which is nice no crazy helo fees then.
From: drycreek
19-Mar-23
Great looking stag and beautiful country ! In for the rest of it. …..
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Only real down side to Crits stag is main beam length. Still in the 350-60 range. We saw bigger for sure. Roar is just starting. Im here another 5 weeks.
From: bghunter
19-Mar-23
The roar is amazing. I wish I had not lost all my video footage from my trip there.
From: jdbbowhunter
19-Mar-23
Amazing animals and country! Enjoy.
From: Thornton
19-Mar-23
My friend just got back from there and shot a 500"+ stag. One of the guys at the lodge shot the new world record fallow deer.
From: bghunter
19-Mar-23
Thornton,
We saw a 500+ stag and it was amazing. The crazy part the guide said he didn't recall ever seeing that stag either
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Thats the best part about hunting these mountains. You just never know whats your going to see.
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Just caped out my first thar......tuff! Way harder than a elk!
From: mooseslayer
19-Mar-23
Here's a 543" stag my buddy arrowed a couple weeks ago in New Zealand
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Awesome! We have a few here at the lodge that are 550-650".
From: RK
19-Mar-23
Forest
What do you think made that Tahr harder to cape than an elk? Was it harder or the same as a bighorn?
Just curious on your perspective
From: sitO
19-Mar-23
So it's a high fence kill/cull?
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Mar-23
Nothing we have hunted is high fence. We can't afford that! Lol. My friend Mike Biemond Owns Real Kiwi hunting. Im here helping him. There is plenty of high fence places around but Mike is really in to free range hunts. RK yes like a big horn kinda. Thing had hair like growing out of its horns at the base. Horns almost touching at bases.
From: FORESTBOWS
20-Mar-23
We shot another nice stage today. We got 2 guys from Tasmania here now. Raining all day and night.
From: Zebrakiller
20-Mar-23
sweet good times
From: DEMO-Bowhunter
20-Mar-23
So many cool places, so little time!!
From: RK
20-Mar-23
Thanks Forest that's what I thought.
Nice stag!!
From: FORESTBOWS
21-Mar-23
Glassing these fields along the river for fallow. We set a ground blind up down there to bow hunt them.
From: FORESTBOWS
21-Mar-23
And Mike killed another stag today.
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Mar-23
Killed a giant Thar today
From: Medicinemann
22-Mar-23
Are there any chamois where you are?
From: g5smoke21
22-Mar-23
Beauty of a tahr. I'm heading over April 15 for stag and tahr. Different outfit. Should be a fun time
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Mar-23
There are lots of Chamois we just dont have anyone hunting theme right now.
From: Potro
23-Mar-23
Congrats Great trophies!!!
From: t-roy
24-Mar-23
Good stuff, Forest! Headed over tomorrow!
From: FORESTBOWS
25-Mar-23
Good luck Troy. Let me know if you need anything. Lots of stuff hitting the ground here been really busy.
From: FORESTBOWS
26-Mar-23
Dang it man. I drew on this stag tonight but no arrow flew
From: WV Mountaineer
26-Mar-23
This is an awesome thread!!!!!! Congrats Forest. It’s got to be fun spending spring guiding for those stags.
From: Saphead
26-Mar-23
Good to see the free range stags. When I was there they were hard to find. Still being shot for market from choppers at that time.
From: bowhunt
26-Mar-23
Thanks for sharing
A stag, tahr, and fallow deer hunt has always been a dream of mine.
You guys seem to be getting on some exceptionally big free range stags. Good luck on getting one!
From: Knifeman
26-Mar-23
Man I see so many knife handles there lol. Beautiful place
From: FORESTBOWS
26-Mar-23
Big fallow has a scrape under this tree. See him there every day. Im 30 yards below it. Will stsy here untill wind changes
From: Charlie Rehor
26-Mar-23
Atta-boy, wait em out.
From: Medicinemann
26-Mar-23
Even better than a boot picture.....
From: FORESTBOWS
26-Mar-23
Wind change how to back out. Little lunch and back at it. Stopped buy the taxidermy shop on the way.
From: RK
26-Mar-23
What town is the Taxidermy shop in
From: Hawkeye
26-Mar-23
Great pics! Congratulations!!
From: FORESTBOWS
26-Mar-23
Wanaka. NZ taxidermy.
From: bghunter
27-Mar-23
Wanaka is a beautiful area. Hell everywhere in NZ is wonderful. At least that I saw.
From: FORESTBOWS
27-Mar-23
Ken with a nice Fallow. Ken also took a great stag.
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Awesome Tahr today in the snow. He was toast when we got back to the lodge.
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Got to watch sheep shearing today. Crazy hard work.
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
From: Charlie Rehor
29-Mar-23
What do you mean by the Tahr “was toast when we got back to the lodge”??
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
29-Mar-23
Maybe that ate him on toast Charlie. However, I’m sure he’s referring to the hunter hahahah
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Ken was toast. Tahr was grilled. Lol
From: Beav
29-Mar-23
Incredible pics!!
From: Goelk
29-Mar-23
Great pics would love to hunt there someday. Can you post a link to Outfitter you helping. Thanks
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Realkiwihunting.com They have a face book and Instagram page as well.
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Mike and I are hunting this valley today and tomorrow morning. We dropped 2 sets of drop camp hunters off on the way down. We are about 5hrs south of the lodge.
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
Mike and Maddie asked us to be Camie's God parents. We got to see her when she was 3 weeks old and not until now because of covid. Kelly is her favorite!
From: FORESTBOWS
29-Mar-23
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
31-Mar-23
This has just made the bucket list...and my wife wants to visit New Zealand as well so might be sooner rather than later!!
From: bghunter
31-Mar-23
NZ reminds me of Africa. Once you go, you always want to go back.
From: FORESTBOWS
01-Apr-23
Gaint Fallow hit the ground today.
From: FORESTBOWS
01-Apr-23
One of the other guides hunter shot this super bull
From: WV Mountaineer
01-Apr-23
This is awesome!!!
From: FORESTBOWS
02-Apr-23
Rick with a long bow gaint
From: FORESTBOWS
02-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
03-Apr-23
Morning off in wanaka. Feeding the ducks and eels with Camie and Kelly.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
03-Apr-23
If I was a duck I’d be worried I’d been fed to those giant eels lol
From: scentman
03-Apr-23
Awesome thread, thank you!
Are Tahr good tasting?
From: FORESTBOWS
03-Apr-23
Tahr are good. Back straps on the grill is my favorite
From: FORESTBOWS
04-Apr-23
Kelly and I got to hunt together tonight. Almost shot a big fallow, and saw a few good stags. 1 ill try to get a better look at tomorrow.
From: FORESTBOWS
05-Apr-23
Guided my first solo stag hunt this morning. Done by 9am!
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
We have been crazy busy. We have been down south hunting Otago free range stags. The original stags here in New Zealand.
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
The Illinois boys put a hurting on them.
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
08-Apr-23
And they got 2 turkeys. Lots of turkeys here. All merriams.
From: Altitude Sickness
08-Apr-23
Very nice free range stags !
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
08-Apr-23
Sweet Stags! And beautiful birds!
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
08-Apr-23
Awesome thread!
From: bghunter
08-Apr-23
That is the one thing I wish I would have hunted in NZ was a turkey
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Apr-23
Took the day off for Easter and moved the cows 15km. Family cattle drive.
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Apr-23
15 for Easter dinner tonight at the lodge.
From: RK
09-Apr-23
Awesome. That's a good ways on a horse if you are not used to it. Great trip, thanks for sharing
From: FORESTBOWS
09-Apr-23
From: Quinn @work
10-Apr-23
Great photos Forest. Thanks for sharing them. That last picture looks a lot like the Colorado you and I know. Looks like a beautiful place!
From: FORESTBOWS
10-Apr-23
Its a beautiful place.
From: FORESTBOWS
12-Apr-23
Awesome tuff day on the hill ended with Tod killing this great stag. Rain all day, died 4 miles from the truck. Beautiful free range stag.
From: FORESTBOWS
12-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
12-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
12-Apr-23
From: Knifeman
12-Apr-23
Awesome pics and critter,
From: bowhunt
12-Apr-23
Awsome, thanks for sharing.
Waiting for a photo of a huge fallow deer!
From: FORESTBOWS
15-Apr-23
Big O wild sheep. Poor guy had 1 eye because of his horn.
From: TGbow
15-Apr-23
Awesome photos..I bet that is a thrill to hunt New Zealand
From: bghunter
15-Apr-23
Those sheep are tough to hunt. I couldn't get closet it seemed then 100 yards before they were taking off for the next valley
From: Medicinemann
15-Apr-23
That dining room table must weigh several hundred pounds!
From: FORESTBOWS
16-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
17-Apr-23
Angus with a nice stage yesterday
From: FORESTBOWS
17-Apr-23
And this couple from Australia did great on there drop camp hunt.
From: FORESTBOWS
17-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
Akaroa is a special little place
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
Haven't seen one of these in a long time.
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
The last time I was here in 2019 was right before covid. I shot this Fallow buck but we could not find it. First time back to that property since. The pigs probably drug it out in the open a bit because we found it no problem.
From: FORESTBOWS
19-Apr-23
Here is a nice fallow we killed there today.
From: Rgiesey
20-Apr-23
Great stuff Forest! Got a friend whose been down there for a week with no bow or gear. Doesn’t even seem possible.
From: bghunter
20-Apr-23
Those fallow are awesome. I would love to go back and hunt them. I just hate the sliding trophy fees.
From: Charlie Rehor
20-Apr-23
Really cool you found that Fallow deer after 4 years. You guys have a safe flight home. I’ll bet the pups will be as excited to see you both as you will be excited to see them.
From: FORESTBOWS
20-Apr-23
Last day here.....i wont be bringing any animals home with me and that's ok. We came to help these awesome kids and spend some quality time with them. 6 weeks went really fast. If anyone wants to experience New Zealand you can not go wrong with Mike and Maddie and Real kiwi hunting.
From: FORESTBOWS
21-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Apr-23
From: FORESTBOWS
22-Apr-23
From: Basinboy
22-Apr-23
Awesome hunting! I hope to make a trip there someday
From: FORESTBOWS
26-Apr-23
Never ends!
Never ends!